Begin collecting as soon as you can because packrat-ism is a positive thing in this case! Whatever you don’t use can come in handy for collages and other projects.

Here you see an excellent source for gathering raw materials.

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Last year's calendars: Score!!

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For envelopes, you’ll want paper at least 8-1/2 x 11″, and bigger is better. In addition, if you plan to send it through the postal service, the paper should have a heavy thickness to it, enough that it won’t rip or come apart with rough handling.

You will also need scissors and scotch tape.

And in the final step, you will want a Sharpie pen, or white paper to tape onto your envelope, for addressing purposes.

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Image Selection & Initial Folds

For the complex envelope, the bigger the paper, the better. Old calendar pages are ideal. I also like heavy maps and coffee-table book dust jackets.

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Begin by folding your chosen image on the diagonal.

The first fold will create the bottom of your envelope’s front.

You’ll want to fold over more than you might think, in order to make the envelope wide enough to hold most paper or cards.

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front view of first fold

back view of first fold

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Fold in the sides

Fold each side angle in to the middle, over the bottom fold you just made.

Details: The edges should overlap. Make sure you have enough paper on each side to cover up the envelope’s future contents. A common mistake is to make one side too short, as the side bits are uneven at this point.

Then, as in origami, unfold it and reverse-fold each of the bottom corners. This makes it look more like an envelope, with the middle fold now on top.

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Folding in the sides over the bottom fold

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After folding, open the sides up and fold them in first with the bottom then folded in after.

This is like a reverse fold in origami.

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How the back looks after reverse- folding

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Complete the shape, tape it down, and trim it

Now fold over the point that’s sticking up off the bottom piece. It will look squared-off.

Fold it up and make its top match the side bits in an aesthetically-pleasing way. You can give it an interesting angle if you like, or if its odd shape happens to fit the way you folded the sides. (That’s not a mistake – it’s artistic license!)

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Fold it up and tape the sides down.

Also put tape across the bottom edges for reinforcement.

You want it to be as strong as possible because the post office workers will be so fascinated with your envelope that they’ll handle it a lot.

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Cut off any excessively long parts to the top flap.

This will be necessary if the initial paper was rectangular.

But nota bene: The final product need not be perfectly symmetrical. It is, after all, a unique handmade woik o’ aht.

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It’s starting to really look like an envelope!

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Final steps & Voila!

Fold over the top so the opening is entirely covered.

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Here’s what it ends up looking like, front and back.

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Congratulations! You’ve just made an envelope!

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Send Your Envelope

To address your envelope, you can do one of the following:

1) Use a Sharpie pen, glitter pen, or the like on a blank portion of your image. (Just be sure to pick something water resistant and extremely visible)

2) Glue or tape on a piece of white paper that’s been cut into an interesting shape to serve as an address label

3) Use one of those sticky tags for same purpose

Add your return address and a stamp.

Tape shut and send.

And await the joyful response from your correspondents who’ve gotten so used to e-mail only that they’ll be wowed by receiving this work of art, uniquely made just for them, in the post.

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In case you’re wondering, I’ve sent hundreds of these over the years, some as SASEs to myself, and they’ve always arrived. One postal worker did warn me, though, that mail sent in such envelopes might take a day or two longer to arrive since they get passed around in the PO for everyone to ooh and aah over before sending them on.

Enjoy!

And please send me images of envelopes *you* make!

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A version of this is a featured Instructable on the wonderful DIY website of the same name. (Uh-oh, my secret identity, BrujaHa, is now revealed…)

i have also been making my own envelopes for many years, and you’re right, calendars are ideal! and homemade envelopes are way more fun to send and receive.

i would remind folks though, that the US postal service has requirements for envelopes and postcards , including maximums and minimums for length, width, and thickness. so for instance using thin paper, like thin magazine, bible, or phone book pages, generally doesn’t make an envelope thick enough to avoid getting chewed up by the USPS machines. i generally only use magazine pages if i’m sending a letter or card that i know will give it a good, sturdy thickness and survive the machines. i once had an envelope returned by USPS because the corners weren’t perfect right angles, so keep this in mind!

Cool Stuff! I have done something similar to this before, but with a LOT of trial and error. Now, with these step-by-step instructions, I will be able to make my own awesome envelopes………….forever. Plus, the using of old calendars is also a great idea.

OMG! I love it! I used to create such envelopes when I was a teen, when people actually sent tangible mail. Thanks for reminding me that there is something beautiful I can do with the junk mail rather than recycle it…twice happy! Once as I create the art. Twice when someone receives it. 🙂 🙂

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